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1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
NotreDameFightingIrish.svg
Consensus national champion
Fiesta Bowl champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 34–21 vs. West Virginia
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches No. 1
AP No. 1
1988 record 12–0
Head coach Lou Holtz (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator Jim Strong (1st year)
Offensive scheme Option
Defensive coordinator Barry Alvarez (1st year)
Base defense 5–2
Captain Ned Bolcar
Captain Andy Heck
Captain Mark Green
Home stadium Notre Dame Stadium (c. 59,075, grass)
Seasons
← 1987
1989 →
1988 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#1 Notre Dame   –   –       12 – 0 – 0
#2 Miami (FL)   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
#3 Florida State   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
#5 West Virginia   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –       10 – 2 – 0
#13 Syracuse   –   –       10 – 2 – 0
Army   –   –       9 – 3 – 0
Louisville   –   –       8 – 3 – 0
South Carolina   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
Northern Illinois   –   –       7 – 4 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Memphis State   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Southwest Louisiana   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Rutgers   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Akron   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Penn State   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Tulane   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Temple   –   –       4 – 7 – 0
Tulsa   –   –       4 – 7 – 0
Boston College   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Cincinnati   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
East Carolina   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Navy   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll
#9 Michigan at #13 Notre Dame
1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan 0 7 7 3 17
• Notre Dame 10 3 0 6 19
Purdue at #8 Notre Dame
1 2 3 4 Total
Purdue 0 0 0 7 7
• Notre Dame 14 28 3 7 52
#1 Notre Dame at #2 USC
1 2 3 4 Total
• Notre Dame 14 6 0 7 27
USC 0 7 3 0 10

The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, by a score of a 34–21. The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football. The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked #2, #4, #5, and #7 in the AP Poll. They also won 10 of 12 games by double digits. The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31-30 upset of No. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36-game regular season winning streak. The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football.

13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No. 9 Michigan in Notre Dame Stadium. In a 19-17 thriller, walk-on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26-yard field goal winner with 1:13 remaining.Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown. In addition to Reggie Ho's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals. The lone touchdown from Notre Dame came from a Ricky Watters punt return, an 81-yard runback. Michigan's Mike Gillette, who had given the Wolverines the lead with 5:34 left by kicking a 49-yard field goal, had one final chance to give Michigan the win, narrowly missing from 48 yards as the final gun sounded.


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